Family
by mystery184
Summary: Something isn't quite right at Chrestomanci Castle and Christopher is determined to find what's wrong. An adventure ensues that makes both him and Millie finally realise how right they are for each other.
1. Chapter 1

**Family**

**Disclaimer:**

None of the characters that you recognise belong to me etc etc etc

**Chapter1**

Millie and the other young students of Magic could see that something was different at Chrestomanci Castle – wrong, or at least not quite right. Gabriel was even more briskly efficient than usual, and had even less patience with his pupils when he felt they weren't being quite as conscientious as they ought to be. In a similar way, Flavian was behaving even more nervously than he normally did, and it became clear that his mind was elsewhere when he tried to give the Advanced magic class the same lesson two days in a row, and clean forgot to ask for their homework essays much to the relief on some of the young enchanters, namely Christopher and Jason.

Clearly, something was going on. It was just a question of what, and unfortunately the answer was proving to be frustratingly elusive. Especially for a certain young nine-lived enchanter, and so no one was really surprised, and a few even went as far as to sigh when, one morning at breakfast he loudly proclaimed that he was going to get to the bottom of things once and for all, and that with his help, things would soon return back to normal in the Castle. It was just like Christopher to be so high-handed. None of them minded _really_, it was just, as Elizabeth said afterwards that his belief that he would somehow be able to automatically solve any problem could at times make him seem rather, well…arrogant for want of a better word, and of course it could also be rather annoying, as most of them well knew.

And it was Elizabeth who asked him exactly what he was planning to do, the look she got in reply, which could only be described as one of his vaguest made it clear that he hadn't got as far as thinking of an actual plan yet. She exchanged a look with Millie, one of the girls she got on best with in the group of students and they both grinned at Christopher's predictability. Some things never changed. This could turn into the Stallery fiasco all over again.

Despite the fact that he could be somewhat infuriating at times, everyone in the Castle liked Christopher a lot, and Millie was no exception. He was the first real friend she'd ever had, after the strange isolated childhood she had spent in the Asheth Temple. Even when he was at his most arrogant and overbearing it was hard not to like him at times, as he could be so charming when he wanted to be, with his dark, handsome looks and lovely smile (on the rare occasions when he looked as though he was actually paying attention to you). She could also see that his bravery and sense of duty were admirable, and that he would in all certainty make a very good Chrestomanci when Gabriel retired, whenever that might be. Christopher certainly seemed to think he would be ready for the job tomorrow if circumstances required it.

Sometimes she thought that she might even be able to fall in love with Christopher, although these were thoughts that she quickly squashed, as they were so obviously such a silly idea. They were the best of friends (most of the time, anyway), for one thing and she was quite sure that the last thing either of them would ever want to do would be something that might jeopardise that. Also he was taller, and darker and handsomer that he really had a right to be. He could have anyone he wanted and she couldn't really envision him wanting _her_. She wasn't ugly, exactly but that at the same time couldn't be described as a great beauty either. She was, as they had taken such pain to instil into her at her first school in Switzerland, the one she had been so miserable at, too plain to be of notice, and so she found it somewhat hard to believe that Christopher would ever be able to think of her as more than a friend. Finally, she - as well as Elizabeth and a few others seriously wondered at times if there was room for anyone in Christopher's affections beside himself. He could be so vain at times, refusing to come out of his room in the morning until his curls had been tamed and his hair was looking perfectly smooth, and of course his insistence on having exactly the right kind of clothes, (although nothing could possibly make him look any less than handsome)

The crux of the matter, as she had to remind herself more and more was that someone like Christopher would never like someone like her in _that_ way and that was why she couldn't allow herself to even begin to feel anything of that sort for him. The Living Asheth would never had thought that way, of course, then she would never even had considered that someone's looks could ever matter at all, but she was a child then, and of course it had been the duty of the priestesses to serve and flatter her. Maybe things were different in Series 10, she really didn't know, having spent the vast majority of her time there within the four walls of the Temple. However she had lived too long in Series 12 and, understandably was beginning to think the same way as people there and to believe that you had to be beautiful to attract someone as good-looking as Christopher. She deplored this newfound insecurity and wondered if she would have been happier if she had attended different schools. The worst thing was, part of her knew that Christopher would laugh if he knew she had been thinking like this, and that he liked for who she was, the fierce, foreign Enchantress who'd stuck his feet to the floor in the Asheth Temple and worked out how to escape to his world on her own, but all the same the doubts and insecurities about their friendship, and possible (or highly impossible) relationship refused to go away.

She had known Christopher for years, and because she knew him so well she couldn't help but be worried when he sought her out later that morning just before his Practical Magic tutorial with Gabriel was due to start. He smiled at her in his most charming and reassuring way:

"Don't worry, Millie. Gabriel says I know almost enough magic to do this job now. If I prove myself to him he'll have to respect me finally, don't you agree? I may need your help…" He went on but she didn't really hear the rest of his speech. Something about that smile of his bothered her, she couldn't quite put her finger on it. It was the same smile he had been giving her for years, when she had complained about _that_ school before running away, even when she had first come to he Castle and he'd been hiding her from Gabriel. But somehow it was different now. It was beginning to affect her in ways she most definitely did not want.

Breaking out of her reverie, Millie realised that Christopher was looking at her in a curious way, as if he was focussing his entire attention on her, and for once did not seem vague at all. For a moment she was somewhat taken aback, before firmly reminding herself that it couldn't mean anything. She couldn't help but be concerned about his eagerness to take action, and worried, not least for Christopher but for herself and the other young magic students, who would surely get dragged into things one way or another. Despite this, Millie bit back the countless replies she could think of, some which were not strictly of a charitable nature, and would only serve to hurt Christopher's feelings and anger him further, making him even more determined. She didn't point out that Gabriel was still angry about the whole Stallery incident, years afterwards, or that after all the lives he had lost already he really couldn't afford to lose any more. Instead, she simply began "Christopher…" intending just to warn him to be careful, and not to do anything without consulting her first, but when she looked up she realised he had already disappeared. Perhaps he knew her too well, had anticipated what she was going to say and fled her warning or, of course he could have been genuinely late, but that had never bothered him before. Honestly, he could be so infuriating at times!

---

Christopher's plan (whatever it might be didn't seem to be progressing too well. His subtly phrased questions directed towards the employees of Chrestomanci Castle were having no effect at all. No one was telling him anything, and Christopher suspected that if Gabriel found out what he was doing he would be grounded for a long time, possibly until he himself became Chrestomanci as Gabriel had already threatened after his adventure in Series 7. Even the maids weren't telling him anything, and he was certain that bone of them must know _something_, gossips that they were. But, like everyone else they refused top speak even the ones that had recently begun to blush and giggle whenever he was nearby. This would seem to suggest that they had been specifically ordered not to tell him anything, most probably by Gabriel. This only served to make him even angrier and more resentful of the current Chrestomanci. He was eighteen years old, almost nineteen and had been tutored in the castle, trained to hold the position of Chrestomanci for practically seven years now, and he _still_ wasn't considered trustworthy or capable enough to help despite the fact that he had already proved himself on numerous occasions. The thought of this made him even more determined to make Gabriel, Flavian and the others see that the were wrong and _force_ them to give him the respect he deserved.

When Millie caught up with him in the large study they shared with the other young enchanters in the Castle just before they were due to go to dinner. He was somewhat relieved to see her. After all, she had always seemed to understand him better than anyone, possibly because she knew what it was like to have to do a job that you didn't necessarily want to but had to because it was your destiny, or because there was simply no-one else to do it. He had reached something of a dead end, as he could hardly do anything unless he knew what he was doing something about, and she would be bound to be able to think of something else. Even when she was still the Living Asheth and sticking him in walls or fixing his feet to the floor he had admired her cleverness and quick thinking and so he was eager to hear any ideas she might have.

He was somewhat surprised, however by the way she narrowed her eyes into one of her formidable glares, a skill she had presumably perfected during her time as the Goddess. Having had experience of her in these moods before he prudently decided tom remain quiet.

"Christopher Chant" she began "I've been looking for you all afternoon, I do believe you've been avoiding me." His patented vague, perplexed look just seemed to spur her on further." "You had better not be planning on doing anything about whatever is going on. You'll be in so much trouble with Gabriel, especially if you lose another life." Seeing that he was now actually looking quite upset, while still trying to maintain his vague, guiltless look she added, in a softer tone "Look, I'm sorry, it's just that we're all worried about you and what will happen…"

"Millie" he began to interrupt in an unusually injured tone for the normally imperturbable Christopher Chant "I was just…" It was Millie's opinion that he valued above all others if he was honest with himself, and her lack of confidence in him upset him, he couldn't help it.

"No Christopher, it's _serious_. Listen for once." Her own vehemence surprised her. True, Christopher was one of her best friends, but should be quite this worried for him, if that was all he was? She hurriedly pushed the thought aside and went on "Conrad heard Gabriel telling Flavian to watch you and make sure you didn't find anything out, because you'd be bound to interfere or something. I don't know what he meant by that but Christopher, he must be worried for a reason, and Con said he looked pretty serious, I think you should definitely be careful."

Christopher was slightly confused by this. It wasn't like Millie to be so worried about getting into trouble with Gabriel. Indeed, a lot of the things they and the others had got up to in the past had been her idea, or they were his and it was she who helped persuade the others that it would be funny or exciting or a good way of getting back at Gabriel for something. Her daring and willingness to do things others that would leave others too afraid were some of the things he liked most about her. He could see that something was different between them and he was naturally worried by this apparent change in her personality. "Millie" he asked, unable to keep the concern out of his voice, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, really. I just…" She tailed off abruptly, not knowing what to think any more. When she heard Christopher's worried-sounding tone she immediately regretted having sounded so harsh. She hadn't meant to, but these days she was finding it more and more difficult to keep her thoughts in order around Christopher at times. She had no idea why she had said those things and, as she suddenly realised they would have no effect at all. When he was in one of his determined moods, Christopher listened to no one but himself. Why had she thought that she could ever change his mind? She knew one thing though, and that was that she wasn't going to leave him to face whatever it was alone, and probably that none of the others would want him to either.

She had opened her mouth to tell him so, prepared for s possible argument about whether it would be too dangerous for her (funny that it had only started bothering him recently), when the sound of a pile of books falling off the desk at the front echoed through the empty study. The sound made them both jump, and out of the corner of her eye, Millie saw the fleeing unmistakably ginger hind-quarters of a cat. _Throgmorten_. What was he doing out anyway? Although the last thing he would ever to would be to admit it, Gabriel was quite terrified of the vicious animal, and as such there was a strict rule about him being shut up during the day. Because they were so shocked at the noise, and surprised to see its cause they may have paid more attention to the pile of upset books than they might have otherwise. Whether that was true or not, when Mille bent to see if any of them had been damaged she noticed that one, a large brown leather tome cracked with age had fallen to the floor. Worried about getting into trouble with the Castle Librarian she picked it up carefully, and almost gasped with surprise when she noticed what was on the page.

"Christopher," she began "Did you ever think about using a spell to find out what Gabriel and the others have been hiding?"

Puzzled, he answered " A spell for finding the truth secretly, do you mean? No, but then I don't think I've never come across one like that. All I can think are those ones that work like a sort of lie detector and to be honest I can't really see myself interrogating Gabriel can you? Any other ideas?"

"No wait," she said, eager in spite of herself. "Look at this. It sounds silly I know, but I think that it might work." She showed him the book, pointing to the spell she had just found, finding herself hoping that it would in spite of her earlier cautiousness. Maybe the old Millie was coming back after all.

As Christopher read, his face lit up. "You know Millie, I think you've cracked it! Or Throgmorten has, I suppose. I never thought that I'd be grateful to that awful cat again, but this almost makes up for all the scratches!" He was unable to keep the excitement out of his voice "Now we can show Gabriel! I knew you'd think of something." Taking her by surprise, he hugged her tightly. Too shocked to respond at first she pulled back quickly, missing the look of disappointment that flickered quickly across his face.

She assumed that he had only done it because he was so excited at the possibility of solving the mystery and getting one over on Gabriel. Feeling slightly uncomfortable with him for the first time ever, she forced herself to smile back at Christopher. "Hold on, we don't even know if it will even work" she said, trying to bring him back down to reality. His excitement was infectious however, and she couldn't help but be carried along with his god mood, and found herself desperately hoping that this spell would be the right one.

The dressing-gong went, signalling that it was time to get changed for dinner. "Well we can't find out now" he said, unable to stop himself grinning. "You'll to contain your excitement a little while longer, I'm afraid" She shot him a sharp look to see if he was being sarcastic but his expression didn't falter. "It'll definitely have to wait until after dinner. How about…"

"If we're going to do this we might as well do it properly" She interrupted, with a confidence she hadn't really felt since she'd left for that horrible school. Smiling somewhat mischievously she added "I'll meet you in that old workshop in the tower at midnight, when everyone has gone to bed. We can try it then"

"And Christopher? You'd better take that smile off your face or Gabriel will _definitely_ suspect something." Christopher's smile grew even wider. Yes, the old Millie was definitely back.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks to Demonprincess81 and Rowana S for the reviews. I probably won't always update this fast, but I wrote it much quicker than I thought I would. 

I don't have anyone to beta for me at the moment, but if anyone wants to volunteer…

And as for the grounded thing, it does seem quite americanised now I come to think of it. There's a lot of American influence on English culture and it's easy to forget what's what at times…oh well, it's only a tiny part of the story and it gets the point across that he would be punished I suppose. I'll try not to do it again!

**Chapter Two**

For both Christopher and Millie, the rest of the evening seemed to pass frustratingly slowly. After the first endless hour Millie was seriously beginning to believe that here was something wrong with the clock in the common room – it couldn't really be still that early, could it? But it was. Still.

Christopher on the other hand, was faring a little better. Millie found herself envying his serene and composed expression while at the same time wondering how he could possibly maintain it. Of course, as he told her later he was planning exactly what he would say to Gabriel after he returned successfully, and from the look on his face imagining it was proving to be almost as deliciously enjoyable as the actual experience would be.

Several weeks seemed to pass before it was eventually time for everyone to retire to their own room for the night, and Millie was surprised by how glad she felt. All the others had noticed that they were behaving strangely, although it wasn't entirely unusual for Christopher to look as though he was off in his own private dream world somewhere. To be honest she was grateful to be away from their curious looks and concerned questions for a while. Christopher was the only one who seemed to understand the way she was feeling, and his enthusiasm was so infectious she couldn't seem to stop herself from being as excited as he was himself.

By half-past eleven the Castle seemed to be entirely silent, oh it was always quiet, and everything usually sounded as though it had been muffled under a very large, very soft blanket, but this silence was somehow different. If she weren't old enough (and magical enough) to know better she would almost say that it seemed vaguely threatening somehow. Of course, as the former Living Asheth as well as a very powerful enchantress she was above being afraid of such things but still, in her darkened room in the oldest part of the castle she couldn't help but feel a little unsettled, nervous even. She was fed up of waiting anyhow, perhaps it was time to go and find Christopher, there didn't seem to be any chance of anyone catching them now after all.

She crept over to the door, knowing that any sound she did make would seem ten times louder in the almost deafening silence and winced every time she so much as stepped on a creaking floorboard. Turning the doorknob as quietly as possibly she stepped out in to the dimly lit corridor, shivering as she got further way from the warmth of the fire in her room…and immediately bumped in someone else coming down the corridor.

"Christopher!" she exclaimed, forgetting to whisper in her surprise "Where are you going? I thought we weren't meeting for half an hour. And you're going the wrong way anyway. What's going on?"

She really was starting to wonder what was going on. Christopher didn't actually look a little sheepish did he?

"I…er…"he seemed to falter for a second or so before hurriedly regaining control of himself. "Well, it looks like everyone's already in bed, including Gabriel of course, and I thought we might as well try the spell right away. It seems fairly straightforward, just simple divination, but at the same time I think it might really work, and to be perfectly honest I can't wait to find out." He smiled at her with his last comment.

"I know exactly what you mean," she said, returning his smile fondly "Are you sure Gabriel's asleep though? He specifically warned you not the get involved remember? 'The consequences will be severe' I think that's what he said, and…"

"I'm really starting to think that you worry too much," he interrupted her "Of course I checked. I have had some experience of doing things like this without Gabriel realising, remember?" he sounded almost hurt that she would think he hadn't planned things through properly. His tone then became more mischievous-sounding "And naturally I would never dare to visit the girl's floor after the hour of nine o'clock, if I thought there was any chance of him finding out. The consequences really would be severe for something like that. I shouldn't think I'd be allowed outside for another ten years or so. Remember what happened to Jason?"

Millie laughed at the reference to an event that happened some years ago, when Jason's pet ferret escaped one night and he ran downstairs after it only to end up in the wrong area of the Castle just as Gabriel happened to be walking past. If Millie remembered correctly he hadn't had any pocket money for about a year, as well being given a thousand or some other ridiculous number of lines to write. Gabriel wasn't entirely bad but he was certainly too strict at times, and no one knew that better than Christopher. There really wasn't any point to such a rule - Out of the pupils who were old enough to really do anything wrong in the sense that Gabriel was obviously worried about there were no two people who would ever like each other romantically, not her and Christopher for obvious reasons, neither Jason or Bernard seemed that interested in girls and she knew for a fact that Elizabeth and Henrietta found the boys either too immature (Jason) or annoying (Christopher and Bernard). They used to have lovely long conversations laughing about Christopher's latest antics (perfectly good-naturedly of course), but lately Millie had begun to feel guilty about making fun of him and the others had seemed to lose interest as well. The three weren't as close as they used to be and Millie had really begun to worry that they were drifting apart.

"How could I forget?" She grinned back, shivering in spite of herself. There really _was_ a draught out here.

"Oh, are you cold?" he asked, immediately sounding worried. Putting his arms around her to warm her up, he continued. "Look, since we're still right next to your room let's go and do the spell in there, where its warmer"

"Mmm," Millie mumbled in response, feeling surprisingly warm and safe wrapped up in Christopher's arms. For his part Christopher seemed equally reluctant to move and buried his face in her hair. Feeling that it was taking a superhuman effort Millie pulled back again, finding it increasingly hard to stop herself from thinking of Christopher as just one of her friends. "Are you coming then? Or is the suspense getting too much?" she said quickly, trying almost successfully to keep her tone light. Things were uncomfortable between her and Christopher _again_. They were such good friends and she would like more than anything to keep it that way but it was getting so complicated. Just barely disguising a sigh she led him back down the corridor, knowing that the easy atmosphere between them had been spoiled once more.

"Alright, like I said this is quite simple. Just divination. Almost anyone could do it, probably even Sarah." Sarah, a pleasant 12 year old was Gabriel's latest recruit, and a reasonably powerful enchantress apparently, but she got very nervous, and kept getting the spells she tried wrong. Millie thought it wasn't very nice of Christopher to bring that up, but seeing the vague expression he used to cover up when he was upset she decided against it. She felt just terrible, thinking that she might have been the cause of it, but she was still sure she had done the right thing. _Almost_ sure. At least 90 percent certain anyway.

"I have read it you know," she answered, not wanting to sound irritable but managing to do so anyway. "So we need a bowl of water, and a chalked pentagram, oh and to say this of course" While she was speaking she summoned the items they needed from the kitchen.

"Don't forget the Marjoram root," he said briefly, sounding quite a bit brisker than usual.

"Oh how silly of me," she summoned that as well. "I'm sorry Christopher," she added quietly, "I didn't mean it, I…"

"It's alright, I understand, really, now can we just get on with it?" He managed a small smile at that, and Millie thought that things might be all right after all.

They set up the bowl of water in the five pointed star they had drawn on the floor underneath the rug. "We'll have to remember to get rid of that afterwards" Christopher said almost absent-mindedly "Gabriel will ask questions if a maid finds it. So, do you want to do the honours?"

Knowing that she would feel very silly if it didn't work, Mille tentatively added the herbs to the bowl of water, and they both said the right words. They then leaned forward and stared intently into the bowl to see if they could see anything in its depths. After a short while Christopher sat back with a sigh, a look of real disappointment on his face. Millie was about to do the same when she noticed something. "Look, Christopher!" She said eagerly, pointing to the shadow she had just seen moving in the water.

"What? There's nothing there." He responded, mystified. But Millie didn't hear him.

It was the strangest thing. The pictures she was seeing seemed as clear as they would if she was really there, except for the fact that they were in miniature of course. And they looked awfully familiar, which wasn't surprising as she realised with a jolt. They were of series 10, the world she had been born in, and lived in for the first part of her life. She only recognised the Temples and the market place vaguely from the days of the Festival when she had been allowed out and many of the things she saw she didn't recognise at all. But she could see from all the shrines to Asheth that it was definitely her own world she was looking at, but _why?_ That was the question. The visions stopped abruptly, and she looked to see Christopher string at her closely with a very concerned look on his face

"Did you break the spell?" She asked him indignantly.

"No I didn't do anything. I was about to though; I was worried about you, Millie. I had no idea what was going on." He sounded as though he'd been genuinely frightened for her.

"I'm sorry. It just seemed to _stop_. Right in the middle. Maybe someone else did it," she mused. "Are you sure you didn't see anything?" she added confused about why the spell had only worked for her.

"I'm certain, the water stayed as blank as ever. Maybe it was because you actually cast the spell." His next question sounded quite impatient, quite understandably she thought. "So what did you see?"

"I saw Series 10, my own world, but I don't know _why_," she frowned in annoyance. "It was about to show me but it just went _blank_. Oh I could scream, I was _that_ close!"

Looking slightly amused at her anger and frustration, Christopher tried to calm her down a little. "Look, Millie, it did work" he said in his most reassuring voice. "We know where to look now." Noticing the slightly sceptical look she gave him, he added, "or if we don't know exactly where to look, we've at least narrowed it down to one world. And you know the world, you can go to the Temple, and ask that priestess, Mother…er…"

"Proudfoot," she interjected sharply. She really wished he would get better at remembering names, it could be so irritating at times. Not to mention embarrassing….

"Oh of course you named the cat after her I should have remembered," seeing her frown he wisely decided to change the subject. "Anyway, I think we should definitely go there, as soon as possible."

"But when though? Gabriel's watching you like a hawk, remember?" She sighed. Nothing seemed to be going well lately, and now it looked as though this little adventure was going to be over before it even started. It looked as though it just wasn't meant to be, sort of like her and Christopher. The bitterness of that last thought surprised even her. Why was she letting him get to her that much? It was probably all just a game to him. He was a very nice person, but at times it seemed like he didn't take other people's feelings very seriously at times, and why should hers be any different? "It's so frustrating, we know exactly where to go but we can't get away without Gabriel stopping us." The look Christopher gave her suggested that he shared this sentiment exactly. "We just need to work out how to get past him."

"Come on," Christopher sat down on her bed, and patted the space next to him. "I don't know about you, but I won't sleep until we have a definite plan. Not just about Gabriel, but what we're going to do once we get to Series 10. I know we can work it out together, somehow. So, are you willing?"

Millie smiled. She knew they would be able to think of something too, they always did. She sat down on the bed next to Christopher, knowing they were probably in for a long night.

**A/N:** Don't forget to review!


	3. Chapter 3

Here's the next Chapter! 

Thanks to **Demonprincess81 **for reviewing again. I've tried to put a little fluffy stuff in - you're not the only one who loves it. It's a shame there's not more of it in the books themselves.

To **MzHissyFits – **thanks for the compliment, although the plot of the story hasn't actually been that well worked out – I just sort of write and see where my ideas take me. I only have a vague idea of what's going to happen next myself. Millie may be a little more self conscious seeming here, but it's useful for the plot and it seems feasible that she might have gone through that sort of a stage – lots of people do after all.

**Chapter Three**

When Millie awoke after what felt like no more than five minutes of sleep she was rather shocked to find herself laying next to Christopher on top of the covers on her bed. For a moment or two her still half-asleep mind was quite understandably very confused, and then she began to remember the events of the night before – the spell, what she'd seen in the divination bowl and her long conversation with Christopher afterwards. They must have fallen asleep – the last thing she remembered was arguing (good-naturedly of course) with Christopher over which spells to use to stop Gabriel from immediately tracking them down after he realised they were missing, then she had closed her eyes for just a minute…

She wondered with some embarrassment how they had got into this position, with her head laying on his chest and his arm around her waist but she supposed it must have been purely accidental - they had both been asleep after all. For a minute or so she felt almost too lazy to move, despite their potentially awkward position (she was very tired after all), but the frankly terrifying thought of what Gabriel would say, or perhaps even more frighteningly, do if he found out about this caused her to wake up rather rapidly.

She hurriedly extricated herself from his grasp and sat up to shake him awake, feeling panicked even though she knew it must still be too early for even the servants to be awake. That was the effect Gabriel tended to have on people, which was probably useful considering the job he had to do. Anyone who wasn't afraid of would have to be either stupidly brave, know nothing about magic or like Christopher she supposed, despising him while at the same time trying pig-headedly not to be afraid of him. He looked to be so deeply asleep that she actually felt guilty about waking him at first, before she remembered what would happen if she didn't.

"Christopher, you really must wake up now!" She whispered sharply in as loud a voice as she dared while at the same time shaking him, perhaps with a little more force than was strictly necessary.

"No I don't." He mumbled indistinctly in reply, adding something else hat sounded like "go away", although by this time he had buried his face in the pillow so it came out rather muffled. He sounded every bit as tired and disorientated as she had felt five minutes ago.

"Are you always this rude when people try to wake you up in the morning?" she asked, unable to resist the chance to tease him a bit. She really did feel sorry for the poor maid who had to get him up in the morning, it must take her _ages_.

Relentlessly, she shook him again and this time succeeded in getting him to open his eyes. A vague, perplexed expression immediately crossed his face, although for once his confusion appeared to be genuine. "Millie what are you doing here?" He asked sounding, if it was possible even more bewildered than he looked.

"It's my room, silly," she replied watching, enjoying herself a little as his face grew even more confused. He obviously couldn't remember how he'd got there. "We fell asleep, after the spell last night, remember?" She reminded him kindly. "At least we know what we're doing next."

Christopher suddenly looked enlightened. "Ah yes, I remember now. Sorry, I wasn't quite awake before."

"I noticed," she interjected, in a sarcastic way that she normally would have left to Christopher.

"Oh ha ha. Very funny." He replied, his tone dripping with sarcasm but with his smile seeming to suggest that he wasn't at all serious. Then he added more soberly "You're right though we do know what we are doing next, and I for one will be extremely glad to tell Elizabeth that the plan is, in fact well underway." Millie was confused for a moment, until she remembered Elizabeth's comments at breakfast the previous morning – it was less than twenty-four hours ago but it felt like a lifetime. "I get the distinct impression sometimes that she doesn't think much of me. What would you say, Millie?"

His vague expression had altered slightly, to his vague-but-knowing one, and she knew exactly what he was trying to do. Elizabeth had been right, he really was terribly predictable at times, and he could never stand the idea that there might be anything going on in the Castle that he didn't know about, or wasn't involved in, and the friendship between Millie and Elizabeth was no exception. When they had been younger, and she had only been able to visit the castle during the school holidays (thankfully she had finished a few months ago – it really wasn't as much fun as it had seemed in the Millie books), he used to complain that she wasn't spending enough time with him. She suspected this was mainly because he felt left out, not because he really felt she was neglecting him – he had had plenty of other friends there after all. Anyway, the point was that he couldn't stand the idea of being left out, or of someone thinking he was less than perfect. And Millie had no patience with this particular aspect of his personality. She therefore decided to ignore the question and change the subject, knowing that it would annoy him no end. It was also a thing he did himself rather often.

"Christopher, I really think it would be a good idea if you went upstairs before a maid comes in. I dread to think what Gabriel would do if he ever found out you spent the night here" Annoyingly, she actually found herself blushing a little at this point. She added quickly: "Even if all you did was sleep of course. I actually think that wouldn't really matter to him."

"That, Millie is a rather good point, even if you didn't answer my question." He followed this up with a shrewd look to make if clear she hadn't got away with it. "I'll see you at breakfast and you can tell me later." He got up and walked towards her door, pausing with his hand hovering somewhere near the handle. "I really am glad you're helping me Millie, you know that, don't you?" he said quietly and almost tenderly, turning to give her one of his dazzling smiles. She gave him a truly genuine smile back, relieved that any awkwardness between them seemed to have disappeared. "There's honestly no-one else I'd rather be working with."

"Really?" She asked, pleased and surprised at the unexpected compliment, which was high praise from Christopher.

"Of course. We work well together, don't we? Remember the Dright, and Conrad's uncle? And the fact that you're the resident expert on Series 10 doesn't hurt I suppose. Now I'd really better go before Linda or Lydia or whatever her name is gets here. Goodbye."

Millie once again found herself quite a loss. She didn't believe she would ever understand Christopher as long as she lived. It didn't mean she didn't like him though; on the contrary she liked him rather a lot, as she had always done.

The sun was setting as Millie and Christopher made their way across the Castle's immaculate lawn, taking care to keep out of sight of the castle windows even though they had taken the trouble to cast the strongest invisibility spell they could manage between the two of them – after all, Gabriel was watching and it wouldn't do to be caught before they had even left the Castle grounds.

The Plan, despite the hours of discussion it had taken to come up with it had actually turned out to be quite simple in the end, at least the getting past Gabriel part. Luckily, he was due to entertain some Very Important guests on the particular night they had chosen, and almost certainly wouldn't notice they were missing until the following morning, which would give them a chance to stop him from tracing them magically, for a while at least. It was the question of what they would do once they got to Series 10 itself that was proving to be really problematic. They couldn't really expect just to turn up there and immediately find whatever it was that was bothering the staff of Chrestomanci Castle so much, although with Christopher's talent for getting into trouble Millie had to admit that it was a possibility. If only the spell had worked like it was supposed to have done, and the annoying thing was that it _should_ have, because she was fairly certain that neither of them would have ever made a mistake with such a simple spell, and it was rather frustrating that they had no real leads whatsoever. Still, hopefully one of the priestesses at the Temple might know something.

Once in the garden they moved speedily through the seasons until they reached the gateway and stone slab in the centre. Christopher activated it easily, remembering his lessons in he garden with Gabriel. The air between the broken pillars of the gateway began to shimmer and flicker as it usually did, before darkening to allow the familiar image of the city where Millie had spent the first part of her life to develop.

"I must say I prefer travelling this way to going through the Place in Between, it's really much more pleasant" Christopher whispered to Millie, unable to resist making one of his light-hearted, joking comments even now.

"Ugh, you can say that again", Millie replied, shivering involuntarily when she remembered her own freezing and terrifying journey through there when she was trying to escape from being sacrificed to Asheth. She was certainly glad that they wouldn't have to do that again – she might even have been tempted to stay at the Castle, rather than repeating the horrible experience. "It looks like the portal's about ready. Should we go through now?"

"Well that is the general idea…." he began somewhat sarcastically, before noticing the sharp frown she was beginning to give him and adding a hurried apology: "Sorry, you know I can't help it." He gave her an appealing smile, and her frown immediately disappeared. She had only been half-serious anyway. For some reason she wasn't finding Christopher's inappropriately timed jokes and sarcasm as annoying as she used to. She took his hand (just so they wouldn't get separated of course) and they stepped through the gateway together.

Series 10 was _hot._ Really hot - beyond anything you'd find in the Europe of any of the worlds in series 12. Even though she'd been brought up there, Millie was sweating in seconds in her too-thick dress designed for a chilly English autumn, and Christopher looked to be faring even worse. The heat hit you straight away and made it hard to concentrate on anything beyond finding the nearest patch of shade. Because of this, the muddy coloured walls and the brightly painted colours of everything else passed in something of a blur as Millie led Christopher in what she was almost sure was the direction of the Temple.

The city looked frighteningly unfamiliar to her and she was beginning to wish that she were back in Series 12 which, as she realised with a bit of a jolt she really considered to be her home now. The strange, exotic smells, the sounds of people chattering excitedly and the clinking music that seemed to be everywhere only added to her confusion and she was quite relieved when the square filled with various temples came into sight. She recognised the one to Asheth immediately. It was right in the centre, twice the size of the others, and by far the most richly decorated.

Millie hesitated. She was suddenly irrationally afraid, as afraid as she could ever remember being in her life before. She couldn't help imagining that Asheth would somehow realise as soon as she stepped inside the Temple that she hadn't been sacrificed after all, and come to get the life she was owed. And what if a horrible priestess like Mother Antsey recognised her? She turned around and glanced at Christopher, who was busy trying to brush the sandy dust of the city off his new suit. _Oops_. It looked like it was completely ruined, and that he'd be in a bad mood for the rest of the day. The thought actually cheered her up a little, even though she knew it shouldn't.

"Are we here?" he asked, looking up for a second. "I wish I had worn another suit. A brown sandy-coloured one perhaps." Then he noticed the look on her face. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" she answered, even though she really felt anything but. "They'll be going for their Midday Rest soon – look how high the sun is the sky. It'll be easier to sneak in then – and of course most of

the Arm of Asheth will be resting too, if you're worried about that." She was amused to see that he really did look rather terrified at the thought of the silver - armoured guards that had killed him with a spear.

"I think that might be best." He answered with a slight shiver in spite of the heat. "Definitely a good idea. Now let's go and sit down in the patch of shade over there and you can tell me what's really bothering you, without changing the subject this time."

Christopher really was very sympathetic when he heard about what was worrying her – indeed she was rather surprised at just how concerned he seemed to be, and by the end of the conversation she felt much better. They didn't just spend their time talking however – Millie had noticed the strange looks they were getting in their seemingly strange and foreign-looking clothes and had had the bright idea of changing their clothes magically to the robes that seemed to be worn universally here. Thankfully they both immediately felt much cooler, although Christopher seemed somewhat regretful about losing his suit. They had explored the rest of the city a little too, and Millie was beginning to enjoy the chance to look around without the crowds and confusion of the Temple. It was a beautiful city, in its own way, very exotic seeming now she was accustomed to series 12, and she regretted never having had the chance to see it properly before. By the time it was time to try and get inside the Temple she was absolutely certain that they done the right thing, despite the fact that they were still no closer to finding anything.

**A/N:** Please don't forget to review – I need encouragement, it makes me write faster! I've changed my profile thing so it accepts anonymous reviews if that was putting you off before.


	4. Chapter 4

Review Responses:   
Crystal Music: I tried to capture the characters as well as I could – I know how much it annoys me when writers don't. I found it quite hard to write Christopher's character at first and that's probably why it's mainly Millie talking about him so far, but I've tried to put a little more of Christopher himself in this chapter and I hope it works. 

**Lightning Bug and Tori: **Thankyou. I _have_ been trying to write faster, but it doesn't seem to working that well so far. The next chapter should be up a bit more quickly though.

**Demonprincess81: **I'mglad to hear you liked the first scene – I thought you would. You're about to find out what happens in series 10 – enjoy!

**Skribe: **I really wish there were more Christopher/Millie stories. There's so much Howl/Sophie in comparison that it hardly seems fair. We really need more people to start writing them – come on guys! I like the idea of Millie and Christopher just waking up and realising they're in love, but I think it'll take something a little more dramatic, in this story at least.

Chapter Four 

When the sun had reached its highest point in the sky and the heat in the city had started to become even more suffocatingly unbearable Millie and Christopher began to make their way back through the narrow, confusing streets to the Asheth Temple.

Somehow, Christopher seemed to know without being told how apprehensive she was feeling about going back there, or it might simply have been that he was feeling the same way. She rather hoped it was the latter, as she would have hated to think that her behaviour was as predictable as Christopher's could sometimes be. Remembering his obvious fear at the thought of meeting the Arm of Asheth again (she didn't really blame him as she rather felt the same), she had immediately vetoed the idea of going through the public part of the Temple - she didn't really know her way around that part after all. So it was Christopher's turn to lead the way – to the Alley and the high, spiked wall he used to go through to get into the Temple on his spirit travels all those years ago. This time, however neither of them had any trouble sliding through and they were in the blazingly hot and bright cat-filled courtyard in a second.

It was strange, Millie thought – she had grown up so much in the time since she had left the Temple that she would have expected it to have completely changed as well. But it hadn't – it still looked exactly the same as it had when she herself was the Living Asheth, which she supposed was comforting in a way.

She jumped as she heard Christopher's voice in her ear, surprisingly close. "Look over there – I think it's Throgmorten the Second!" He pointed to a ginger cat, which did look a little like the cat he had taken from the Temple, and was certainly behaving in a Throgmorten-like manner, currently being busily engaged in bullying a few of the smaller cats into submission. Millie smiled – it was true that Christopher's continual joking could be annoying, but it always seemed to cheer her up.

"Throgmorten the second, what a frightening thought! I think we'd better keep well away. One perfectly vile cat is enough, thank you," she answered, suddenly finding herself fighting the urge to laugh. Christopher seemed to be having the same problem.

"Oh I couldn't agree more. Think of the carnage if they ever took a dislike to each other. And another Throgmorten! Now _that's _something Gabriel would never forgive me for! So whereabouts would Mother Proudfoot be?"

"In her chamber, I suppose. She always used to…" Millie broke off as a familiar figure emerged from the nearest creeper covered archway with an equally familiar stern look on her face, although she could tell that the priestess was really enormously pleased to see her.

"Hello, my Asheth daughter. I sensed that you had arrived here, although I didn't quite believe it. You have grown up! So what brings you here? And who's this?" With this last question she gave Christopher a strange, considering look that almost seemed to be one of protectiveness towards Millie. But that was silly, of course - why could she possibly need protecting from Christopher? It didn't make any sense. Christopher looked equally taken aback - he was shifting in a way that she would have thought of as nervous had it been anyone else, and he seemed to be waiting for her to speak for once.

"This is my friend Christopher – you probably remember him. He was there when you came to find me in series 12. He's Gabriel de Witt's heir, you know"

"Ah yes, the boy who used to visit you in the Temple. Oh, don't look so surprised," she added, noticing Millie's stunned look at this, "not much gets past me you know. Well its nice to know you're still good friends. Much as I am glad to see you, there must be a reason you decided to come," she looked at them expectantly, clearly waiting for an answer.

Millie swallowed. She had forgotten how observant Mother Proudfoot could be, although it did seem that she had got the wrong end of the stick about her and Christopher. From the awed look on Christopher's face at seeing the priestess again and being back in the Temple it was clear that she'd have to do it. She took a deep breath and began.

"Well, it's all down to Christopher really. It started when…"she went onto tell her everything, about the strange atmosphere at the Castle, the spell, and even how they had managed to get to Series 10 without Gabriel realising. She listened with a thoughtful look on her face, and waited until she was sure that Millie had finished before responding.

"I can't say I know what to tell you. I haven't really noticed anything unusual here. I do think the spell must have called you here for a reason though – are you sure it was the one you thought?"

Millie frowned as she thought about this. She was _fairly_ sure she knew why, but she had learned that it never did to be too certain of anything when there was magic involved. Christopher was frowning too, but in pure annoyance.

"What do you mean, another reason? It's simple. Gabriel can't solve this problem, and Millie and I are supposed to do it for him, and that's all there is to it." His tone was as final and haughty sounding as Millie could ever remember it being, and clearly he wasn't about to stand for anyone interfering in his plans.

"And you think you can do better than de Witt, I suppose, with all his years of experience?" From Christopher's somewhat smug and complacent smile it was clear that he did, and he pretended not to notice any sharpness in the elderly priestess' tone.

"And you don't think that that might be a little unrealistic?"

"As a matter of fact I don't," he replied hotly. Gabriel was still one of his thorniest subjects, and he _really_ hated it when he thought someone was questioning his abilities.

"Calm down, Christopher, she didn't mean anything by it," Millie hissed in his ear, pinching him on the arm warningly. The last thing she needed was for Christopher to start an argument. She wanted him top get on with Mother Proudfoot and besides, the long silver spears of the Arm of Asheth still loomed frighteningly in her memory. The thought of Christopher getting hurt because of her terrified her.

Mother Proudfoot was going on. "I really wish I could help you, but of course the sort of things that would worry de Witt aren't really my concern." Christopher's face visibly fell at this, and he looked so disappointed that Millie felt truly sorry for him.

"But there must be something else! We can't have just reached a dead end." She said, suddenly as desperate for there to be another way as Christopher obviously was.

"The obvious thing to do would be to return to Series 12. De Witt probably didn't tell you for a reason, and unlike you Millie has only one life." Christopher looked aghast at the idea that he was somehow putting Millie in danger. "However I can see that you are both utterly determined. I'll help you in any way I can of course."

"Thankyou," Christopher said in his perfectly polite voice, while giving Millie a look that seemed to convey what a waste of time he thought their visit to the Temple had been.

"If you stay a bit longer I may be able to think of something else." Christopher didn't look too hopeful but he nodded nevertheless, while Mother Proudfoot went on briskly, "you can't stay in the Temple of course, but there should be plenty of places to stay. You shouldn't have any problems, but make sure you stay together. I can trust you to keep her safe, can't I?"

"Of course you can trust me," Christopher sounded shocked that she would say such a thing, but at the same time his voice had an air of complete authority, as though what he was saying was an indisputable fact. "I'd do anything for my friends and Millie's one of the best ones I have. I'd lose every one of the rest of my lives before I'd let anything happen to her."

Although Millie felt exactly the same about Christopher but she was still somewhat surprised that he felt so strongly about her and was willing to say so out loud – it was impossible to tell what he was really feeling most of the time after all.

"I'm very glad to hear it," Mother Proudfoot's reply seemed innocuous enough, but she looked uncannily like someone who had just had something they knew all along confirmed once and for all. "Very well. I'll see you both at noon tomorrow," and to Millie, "I'm truly glad to have seen you again Asheth daughter – you were always my favourite Living One. Goodbye." With that, she turned and clinked away, leaving both Millie and Christopher with rather puzzled looks on their faces.

As soon as they had left the blazing courtyard for the narrow shady alley Millie sank down and sat on the dusty ground leaning against the high muddy coloured wall of her childhood home. Christopher followed with a distinctly disappointed look on his face, for once not seeming to care if he got his clothes dirty.

"I'm sorry that was such a waste of time. I knew you really didn't want to go and I made you anyway. That was unfair. And I suppose I could have been nicer to Mother Clubfoot." Millie didn't think he had anything to apologise for, but he seemed genuinely contrite. He moved closer so they were almost touching and looked at her closely, obviously waiting for her to respond.

"Mother _Proudfoot , _Christopher. Honestly, I'll turn you into a toad the next time you get someone's name wrong. It's really rather annoying you know." She tried her hardest to sound intimidating but didn't manage very well at all as she was trying not to laugh.

"Oh, I'm afraid, believe me. You've always been a formidable opponent, ever since you first stuck my feet to the floor in there." He pointed back towards the Temple, laughing as well, knowing she hadn't been serious for a minute. They had always been like this, but it didn't mean they liked each other any less, quite the opposite in fact. Christopher seemed to sober up though, and the smile disappeared from his face, disappointing Millie a little. "Seriously though, what are we going to do next?"

"I honestly have no idea."

"Me neither," he paused, frowning anxiously, "you were alright though? Going back to the Temple, I mean. They were supposed to sacrifice you after all." The look on his face was as worried as she could ever remember it being, and he put his arm round her shoulder as though to comfort her.

"I'm fine. Really." She meant it - she had been a little frightened, but it hadn't seemed as bad with Christopher there somehow. He looked at her for a few seconds longer, as though he wanted to ensure that she was telling the truth, and then sat back against the wall, looking a great deal happier. She did think about moving his arm but decided against it. It felt nice, and it wasn't as though it meant anything of course. Although she thought it might not be an entirely bad thing if it did.

"Millie, did Mother Proudfoot think…"Christopher's voice brought her out of her reverie, and she looked up, almost too eager to hear the rest of his sentence to notice that he had got the priestess' name right for once. Perhaps he lost courage at the last minute, or perhaps what he was going to say wasn't important at all but he abruptly changed the subject. "We should probably walk around a bit more, until I faint from the heat at least. I don't see how sitting around here will do us much good." He got to his feet, turning around at once to help Millie up. "Come on." He then walked a few feet before turning around and asking, "I'm not too dusty am I?" Millie just laughed.

Only half an hour had passed since they left the alley by the Temple to Asheth, but both Christopher and Millie were already heartily sick of the heat. The city was getting hotter with every second, and the crowds of people just made it worse. Every step seemed to take three times as much effort as it would have done in the garden of Chrestomanci Castle in Series 12. "Maybe we should find some shade." Millie murmured, barely able to concentrate long enough to say that much. She spotted a narrow street between two tall buildings that was entirely in shadow and led Christopher towards it.

"Oh thank the Lord. I can't believe anywhere could be this hot. What I wouldn't give for a nice English torrential downpour now..."

He went on but Millie didn't really hear. Where had she seen the building at the end of the street before? The parade on the day of the Festival never came this far. Then she remembered.

"Christopher! I saw that building just before the spell cut off. I just _know _it's important."

"It looks as though we have another lead." Christopher's voice sounded calm, but it was clear from the look on his face that he'd cheered up considerably. It looked as though he might get a chance to teach Gabriel that lesson after all.

**A/N:** Whatever you do, don't forget to review!


	5. Chapter 5

**Review responses:**

**Lightning Bug -** Sorry I kept you waiting so long for the update, but it's here! (Although if you thought the last chapter's ending was a cliffhanger….)

**Demonprincess81**- Thanks!

**Skribe - **Everyone seemed to like the Mother Clubfoot thing – it even made me laugh when I was writing it.

**Caralynne**- Yes I'm British, and I don't think it's a personal question at all. I think humour is important in DWJ's books, especially with the character of Chrestomanci (after all, how can a man with a flowered silk dressing gown take himself seriously?), and I can just imagine all the other young people in the castle laughing at the more eccentric aspects of Christopher's personality, good naturedly, of course! 

Thanks to **Crystal Music** for Beta-ing, and on with the new chapter!

**Chapter 5**

The building in question was built from the same muddy coloured stone as everything else in the city, but behind its high wall and wide, firmly locked gates they could somehow tell that it was much grander. It was large and imposing, and the dome rising majestically from the centre of the roof wouldn't have looked out of place on a cathedral in their own world.

It would have been near impossible for two such well-trained magic users not to notice at first glance that it also happened to be surrounded by a wall of spells, and that whoever had set them up had known what they were doing. Millie bit her lip and frowned – even getting in was clearly going to be a challenge in itself.

"Hmmm," Christopher said thoughtfully. "The person that lives here is either absurdly paranoid or they have a great deal to hide, and call me cynical, but I rather suspect that it's the former. Now how do you suggest we go about getting through these spells and finding out?"

"I bet they'll have some sort of spell that's triggered when any of the others are broken – like at the Castle. If we can break that one then we shouldn't have too much trouble

"Good thinking," Christopher agreed, already beginning to magically sort through the confusing jumble of spells until he found the right one. It seemed to take ages and Millie was actually about to suggest that he let her try instead when he said "Aha! Found it!", perhaps a little too triumphantly for her liking. She immediately stepped forward to make a wide enough gap in the web of spells to allow them to get through easily. Then it was simply a matter of sliding through the wall beside the tall, locked gate as they had already done at the Temple earlier that day.

They emerged into a paved garden full of plants that looked strange and foreign to Millie after all of the time she had spent in Series 12. It was certainly quite unlike any part of the gardens at Chrestomanci Castle. A large, ornate fountain bubbled away in the centre, and everything seemed to be covered in creepers. The overall effect was of a cool and shady oasis of calm, especially after the overheated and bustling city they had just left.

Christopher led Millie over to the set of muddy brown stone steps that curved up towards the house itself, moving rather more quickly than he had been before in a way that made it clear that he was very anxious indeed to find out what was inside the imposing building.

Inside, it was even more impressive, if that was possible. Curtains and cushions of richly coloured silken fabric seemed to cover almost every available surface, making it hard to see at first that that walls and floor were white underneath it all.

"This is rather nice, don't you think?" he said absently, fingering a curtain with a particularly attractive blue and green pattern. "I bet this cost an awful lot. It seems a shame that it's been wasted as a curtain though. It would make a lovely dressing gown, don't you think?"

Millie was unable to stop herself from rolling her eyes a little at this. He was so easily distracted at times! And his obsession with clothes had, if anything, got worse since she had complained about it to Conrad at Stallery. She caught hold of Christopher's arm and practically dragged him towards the foot of a wide marble staircase, which reminded her a little of the one in the entrance hall of Chrestomanci Castle. They were debating whether or not they ought to go up it when the sound of a conversation drifted towards from another room across the hallway. They exchanged surprised looks and both crept closer.

"So tell me, what is the problem exactly?" It was hard and cold, and at the same time full of barely restrained anger.

" Well I wouldn't go as far as to call it a problem…" the second voice belonged to a woman, and although it didn't sound any nicer than the first it certainly seemed a lot more nervous.

"Cut to the chase," the man interrupted icily.

"We had a … slight setback, that's all. The man who holds the office I would rather not name, for reasons I am sure you understand, Gabriel De Witt…" she spit the name out as though it was somehow distasteful. Millie's eyes widened. She was talking about Gabriel! It looked as though they had come to the right place after all. She looked across at Christopher, but he seemed to be in a world of his own – he had the slight frown on his face that he often got when trying to concentrate on remembering something important. Oh well. She turned her attention back to the conversation.

"Yes. That tiresome do-gooding enchanter from 12A. I do know of him. Please continue."

"Well, as I told you he and his staff managed to put a permanent end to the activities of my previous employer, and they'll do the same to you if you give them the chance."

"I consider myself to be a little wilier than the Wraith, thank you. I trust you will ensure profits aren't affected, won't you? And increase the supply of Dragon's Blood from Series 8. There seems to be an increased demand for it at the moment. Escort her out, please." Millie presumed he indicated to some servants at this point, although they couldn't actually see into the room itself.

Millie opened her mouth to say something about the conversation they had just overheard but instead found herself being dragged none too gently around the nearest corner.

"Ow! That hurt," she began a little indignantly.

"I'm sorry," Christopher said distractedly, in a vague way that suggested he wasn't really, as he hadn't actually realised that he had done it yet. "It's just that I recognise that woman!"

"Well that's hardly surprising - she did work for your uncle after all." She didn't really understand why he was getting so upset. Or maybe she did. His uncle had treated him terribly and she, along with everyone else had assumed that he wasn't bothered by it any more but perhaps he was.

"It's just a shock to see her, that's all," he said quietly, in a way that Millie thought made it perfectly clear that it wasn't really. "That was the Last Governess! You remember me telling you about her?" She did indeed, and things immediately became clearer to her.

She felt awfully sorry for him, but at the same time knew that at least one of them had to be ruthlessly practical. The house of someone who was clearly every bit as cruel and frightening as Christopher's uncle Ralph had been was clearly not the right place for a heartfelt conversation. Nevertheless, she was about to say something comforting when she was abruptly by a voice coming from behind Christopher.


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry if this seemed to take ages – it's here now! The next update may take even longer as I'm about to start uni, but it'll be up as quickly as possible, I promise. Once again, thanks to Crystal Music for beta-ing.

**Review responses**

**TonisMaximus: **The snogging WILL start but probably not in the next chapter.

**Lightning bug: **Sorry about the cliffhanger, but it seems to be becoming quite a habit.

**LovelyAcid: **I'm glad to hear you like M/C so much. Christopher's a metrosexual is he? I do see your point, although I'm not sure its quite to the extent of David Beckham – I mean, can you imagine him in a sarong? And Millie's much nicer than Victoria. Sorry about the update delay, but enjoy the chapter now it's here, and I hope the suspense didn't kill you.

**Chapter 6**

"What _are_ you doing here?" the voice rang out in a surprised, slightly indignant tone. Millie couldn't stop herself from starting nervously, but felt a little better about her lack of bravery when she saw a very brief deer-caught-in headlights expression flash across Christopher's face. He collected himself after a second, though, to assume his haughtiest, most intimidating look and aim it upward towards the voice. Clearly he wasn't going to show that he was in any way cowed. Millie admired him greatly for this – he looked at least ten times as brave as she felt, even if it might be all for show, and the impressive glare currently on his handsome face would have put even the terrifying Gabriel de Witt to shame.

The figure moved from the shadows, and Millie was surprised (and not a little relieved) to see it was only a boy or rather, a young man. Anyway, he certainly did not look old enough to be the brains behind an organisation that looked as though it could rival the Wraith in cunning and cruelty. He was perhaps a year or two younger than her and Christopher at the very most, was fairly stockily built with brownish hair and wore a slightly more expensive-looking version of the type of robe that absolutely everyone seemed to wear in this world. It was only a slightly richer brown than the ones that people had worn in the temple (She supposed it wouldn't do to wear anything that would show up the dirty coloured sand that seemed to get everywhere too much) It fell to his knees and the overall effect rather reminded Millie of one of the many pictures of the paintings on ancient Greek or Roman vases she had seen in Art textbooks at her finishing school in one of the seemingly endless lessons on Appreciating High Culture in a Ladylike Manner. It looked surprisingly thick and luxurious, considering how hot she knew it always was here.

A response was clearly required and, in his airiest, most nonchalant tone Christopher answered, "Oh, you now how it is, we just sort of wandered in." He accompanied this with a dazzling smile deliberately designed to unsettle the other boy. From his expression, he didn't seem to think that they were in much danger, and hadn't even bothered to come up with a proper excuse. Millie only wished she felt half so confident about the situation.

The boy did seem to find Christopher a little off-putting – at first he could only reply "I don't think so…" uncertainly, as though he couldn't quite remember what he had asked in the first place. Christopher did seem to have that effect on people when the met him for the first time. "You can't just wander in," he said a little more firmly recovering himself somewhat. "How did you get past all the spells?"

"Why is this place so well defended, anyway? Does the owner have something to hide? If you know, you must tell me, I'm simply _fascinated_." Christopher said, managing, cleverly Millie thought, both to avoid responding to the question he had been asked, and to ask another of his own in a way that made it difficult to avoid answering.

The boy moved down a few steps, frowning. "It can't be all that well defended if you two managed to get in," he pointed out a little ungraciously, "_And_ my father takes security very seriously. I'd really hate to think of what he'd do if anyone got in."

Christopher smiled in a rather self-satisfied way, clearly storing away the information he had just heard for use against the boy at a future date if need be. Millie wasn't sure either way, but she knew that to her the boy had sounded like one of the most spoiled brats s had ever met, and there had been a _lot_ of them at her Swiss finishing school. She had never had any patience with people like that, possibly because she had enough of it at the Castle with Christopher. Although he wasn't spoiled _exactly_ – no one who had met his parents could ever think that, no, it was his arrogance that was the problem, and she had no idea where that had come from.

"Oh it _is_ well defended, I just happen to have a extraordinary talent for magic," he said, entirely seriously and matter-of-factly without the slightest hint of modestyMillie only just managed to stop herself muttering something sarcastic in response. Normally she would have, but it occurred to her that it was probably a good idea to let Christopher intimidate the boy as much as possible. They weren't in the safest of situations after all, and it looked as he was doing a fairly good job of it already.

To his credit however, the boy on the stairs looked to be every bit as unimpressed by Christopher's declaration as Millie was. But he didn't seem to know quite how to respond and there was an awkward silence that seemed to last at least five hours although it couldn't have possibly taken more than a minute or so in reality.

Millie had a feeling that she didn't like the boy very much, – she didn't know why exactly, but the superior tone he had had when talking about his father annoyed her – of course, it wasn't that different than Christopher's had been, but somehow it seemed faintly ridiculous coming from the other boy. She knew she was being unfair, but somehow she couldn't help it. Unfortunately that didn't make it that much easier to decide how much they should tell him, or whether they should even trust him at all. She looked at Christopher meaningfully, wanting to ask him what he thought they should do, but all she got in response was one of his vaguer looks.

"It's clear we didn't just wander in," she began, deciding to tell him something that sounded fairly convincing, but without saying anything that could be used against her and Christopher if he didn't turn out to be as harmless as she thought he was. "The truth is, we're from another world, another Series in fact." The boy's face grew more interested as Christopher's grew more aghast. Millie shot Christopher a look that she hoped was reassuring. She wasn't planning to reveal the world they, or rather Christopher _really_ came from – after the conversation they had just overheard she didn't want to say anything that would connect them to Series 12 or the title of Chrestomanci, and so she went on to explain how they were from Series 7 (well they had been there after all, and Conrad had told her plenty about it in the years he had been living at the castle). At this point, Christopher gallantly decided to take over. Millie didn't mind in the slightest – in fact she was a little relieved. During his time at the Castle he had become quite the expert at "manipulating the truth" (Millie thought that "lying" might actually be a better term). Certainly he had had enough practice – explaining missing essays or unrevised-for exams to Gabriel de Witt was no easy matter after all.

"I must confess that I did break your father's spells deliberately, but don't worry, there was no sinister motive behind it, if that's what you're worried about." While he was speaking he smoothed down his already immaculate robes, frowning vaguely as he did so in a way that made Millie sure that he was missing the expensive suits he always wore at the Castle. She didn't understand why he was so obsessed with his clothes at all – surely there couldn't be a single article of clothing anywhere in all the related worlds that could make him look less than handsome. "It's actually rather silly," he continued, "as Millie said, we're sort of…visiting this world, and when we saw this place, we couldn't help but wonder what it was, and why it was so well guarded. And so she bet me that I wouldn't be able to break all the spells on the gate – but I did of course – and well, here we are." The story may not have been the most creative or convincing that Millie had ever heard him come up with, but he said it with such conviction that she didn't see how the boy could fail to believe him. And of course, the fact that none of it was acually an outright lie helped.

It seemed to do the trick. The boy didn't look in the least suspicious now – in fact he bounded down the stairs so enthusiastically that Millie was afraid he would fall and do himself a serious injury. "You can do magic too? Proper Enchanter's magic? My father says not many people can do that. My name's Seth by the way."

Millie was surprised by how immature he sounded – more like a twelve year old than the fifteen or sixteen years he looked to be. She supposed he had led a terribly sheltered life. She had met plenty of girls like that at school -- spoilt little things that crumbled into tears whenever they didn't get their own way. She supposed this boy Seth was just like that.

It looked as though Christopher had come to the same conclusions that she had, but being Christopher he was taking full advantage of the situation to gain as much information as possible, firing off questions almost faster than they could be answered. Within just a few minutes he had managed to find out an impressive amount about him, including the fact that he had lived alone with his father for as long as he could remember and that they didn't seem to have any other family. Not all the information was strictly relevant though –he did tend to feel sorry for himself a bit and spent quite a proportion of the time complaining about how lonely he was. As Christopher said later, it wasn't really surprising that he didn't seem to have any friends.

"What does your father do for a living that he needs so much protection?" Christopher asked, taking care to keep his tone and expression impeccably vague. Millie jumped when she heard noises and clatterings from deep inside the building that suggested that people were waking up from their siestas. At first she thought that the stricken look on Seth's face was due to this or the question that Christopher had just asked him but when she followed his gaze and turned round she saw otherwise.

One of the brightly coloured curtains covering the many archways leading off the marble hallway had been flung violently aside – it was almost hanging off the rail. An older man was standing in front of it, dressed in a similar robe to Seth's. The only difference was that his robe had a sort of silver coloured armour over the top of it that reminded Millie uncomfortably of the Arm of Asheth. At that very moment his features were twisted in a glare, but at the same time he actually looked quite shocked, as though he had trouble believing what he saw before him.

"What is the meaning of this?" His voice came out choked with anger. "Guards!"

Christopher moved a few inches closer to Millie to whisper, "I think now is about the right time to leave, don't you?" He moved his hand just slightly, and she felt the felt the telltale gust of air rushing past her face that was so familiar from her Magical Transportation lessons at the Castle. Realising the urgency of the situation, she immediately began her own translocation spell.

Unluckily, the man chose that instant to grab hold of Christopher's arm. Millie sensed his magic disappear as soon as the silver gauntlet made contact with the bare skin of his arm. She remembered too late just how common silver was in this world.

Knowing that there was not a second to waste, Millie reached out with her own magic instead, but at the last possible moment found herself out in the narrow street beside the tall gate again. There was no sign of Christopher. She had absolutely no idea what had just happened, and worse, Christopher was inside, quite possibly still magic-less, and at the mercy of that awful man, and the thought terrified her

She ran back towards the spell-covered wall and let loose with her magic, not caring for secrecy this time. It didn't work this time, however. The spells were swarming too thickly, and no matter how hard she tried her magic wasn't strong enough to get through them. It looked as though security had just been heightened. She thought that even Christopher would have found it difficult. There was no way in, and she had no idea what to do.

**A/N:** As usual, reviews would be very much appreciated.


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